The new Hyundai Santa Fe becomes stylish and even safer

Hyundai introduced the fourth generation of its biggest SUV, the Santa Fe, which involves a major makeover, extra space and refinement and safety enhancements.

For a brand that carries large numbers in other segments of the automotive industry, the Santa Fe is a relatively slow seller in the competitive SUV wholesale market of SA, which includes competitors like the Kia Sorento, the Volvo XC60, the Land Rover Discovery Sport and the Audi Q5, among others.

The anonymous style has done little good in the third generation of Sante Fe, but, reminiscent of the new "sporty sensual" look of the Hyundai family introduced in the recent Kona, the newcomer is sculpted in a much more catchy form with its lights thinner front and rear and its bolder "cascade" grille.

Led by Hyundai-nominated chief designer Luc Donckerwolke (formerly of Lamborghini), the large SUV now has a more resolute look with what Hyundai describes as having athletic muscles.

The more beautiful body perches on an elongated wheelbase that freed up more space in the seven-seater vehicle interior of 4,770 m long. The boot is now extended to a very spacious 547l, and has a convenient under-floor corner for storing the detachable cargo cover. All seats in the middle and rear rows can fold flat to create a gigantic space of 1,625 loading tanksl.

The third row is big enough for a pair of adults (just) and access to the third row is done by means of a simple one-touch system that moves the middle seats toward the # 39; before.

Three Santa Fe derivatives are available, all equipped with the same 2.2 turbodiesel engine and eight-speed automatic transmission, but offered in front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive models and in three grades.

The four-cylinder engine comes from the older range, but its powers of 142 kW and 440 Nm are now delivered more efficiently with the addition of two extra gears. The transmission ratio of the new eight-speed car is expanded to provide better engine response in acceleration, while the longer top speed has reduced fuel consumption to 7.8l/ 100 km for FWD and 8.2 versionsl for the AWD.

With a ground clearance of 185 mm, the Santa Fe is able to work on rough terrain, especially in the all-wheel drive model that uses the Hyundai HTRAC system to electronically vary the drive between the front and rear wheels and control braking between the left and right wheels. There are three driver selectable modes – Sport, Comfort and Eco – that change the torque distribution between the front and rear wheels.